Benefits Package
by Bubble Wrapped Kitty
Summary: This doesn't have to be weird. I mean, we're just partners and best friends who happen to have insanely fantastic sex together. We can make it work. Like, friends with benefits.
1. Daring

Title: Benefits Package

Rating: M for scenes of sex and mild language.

Set: pre-"Friend or Faux." Obviously goes AU from there.

AN: So now with the Haven season over (and can I just say, finale = OMFG!) I'm getting around to posting again. And you folks voted, and here's your winner, with more than three-quarters of the vote, an Audrey/Nathan friends-with-benefits story. It turned out a little differently than I intended, but I'm pleased with the finished result for my first time writing anything sexual.

Updates will be every Sunday and Wednesday.

A special thank you to Faith_Chan, my super kickass beta who rescued this story from my finicky muse monster. She helped me so much with this story I feel like I should list her as a co-author. She's the brains to my brawns. :)

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

It all started out innocently enough. Or at least as innocent as getting wasted at the Gull after a hard day of work can possibly be, anyway.

Audrey tipped back another shot of whiskey and fought the urge to cough as the alcohol burned its way down her throat. Damn, when Duke said he was breaking out the good stuff he meant it. She set the glass on the table and blinked slowly, waiting for the room to stop swaying.

"You bowing out yet, Parker?" Nathan asked and when she looked across the table at him his stare was challenging. Never one to back down, Audrey promptly pushed her glass to the middle of the table for a refill. Nathan smirked.

"If I'd known you two would be this much fun I'd have done this ages ago," Duke said as he poured whiskey into everyone's shot glasses. Once they were refilled they each took a glass and tipped them back.

Audrey swallowed and took a deep breath, her eyes almost stinging. On her left Evidence Crocker turned her glass upside-down on the table and held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, I fold," she said.

"Seriously?" Duke asked in surprise. "Shame, you used to be able to hold your liquor so much better."

"Oh that's not why I'm out," Evie said. "It's just that one of us has to stay sober enough to make sure you don't fall in the ocean and drown trying to get home tonight."

Duke gave her a wide, shit-eating grin. "Awh, Evie, you do care!"

Evie laughed. "Hardly. I just don't want you to die before I get a chance to update your life insurance," she said, looking around the Gull appraisingly.

Nathan snorted behind his hand in a weak attempt at hiding his laugh. Duke shot an overly-dramatic glare at him, which was more comical than anything because of his blood-shot eyes and flushed cheeks. Audrey chuckled and settled back in her seat, feeling warm and contented. It had been a rough couple of days at work, dealing with an outbreak of Troubles that had wreaked absolute chaos in town. In the end they'd found out it was three different Troubled people at work, and they had finally managed to get everything reigned in. To celebrate Duke had invited them down for drinks, his treat. Audrey suspected that his generosity had something to do with the fact that one of the Troubled people, who'd died during a freak accident, had the maze tattoo on his arm. Duke seemed to be in the mood to celebrate whenever another one of them kicked the bucket.

Besides, she wasn't in the mood to question his motives. It was comfortable in the Gull, she was relaxing with friends, and they still had little under half a bottle of very high quality whiskey. Friday nights didn't get much better than this.

"Alright, who's in for another?" Duke asked, lifting the bottle questioningly. Audrey slid her glass to the middle of the table and across from her Nathan did the same, that teasing smirk still on his lips. She wasn't quite certain when friendly drinks had turned into some kind of competition, but she was game for it. They didn't break eye contact as they threw back their shots and when they'd set the glasses down again, Audrey returned his grin.

Four shots later Audrey was feeling more than pleasantly warm. At some point in the last ten minutes the Gull had suddenly begun to feel incredibly hot, so she'd shed her jacket and her button-down, leaving her in just her camisole and jeans. Nathan was laughing at something that Duke said, which was indicator enough that he was drunk, and Evie was just sitting back and watching them all, a knowing smirk on her face.

"Evie," Duke said suddenly, changing tracts mid-sentence. "You know what I think?"

"No, Duke, what do you think?" Evie replied with a cool smile, clearly humouring him.

"I think that you and I should go back to my boat," he said, drawing several of the syllables much longer than necessary like he was trying to make a point. "And continue this celebration in private." He paused and then said, "Unless of course Officer Parker wants to join us. I would be willing to accom- cacom- amcom... I'd be okay with that."

Audrey wrinkled up her nose. "Gross," she said.

Duke shrugged. "Worth a try," he said. "I just thought maybe you'd be interested. It's a good way to unwind. Wouldn't hurt to get laid."

"Jesus, Duke," Nathan said, giving him a disgusted look.

"Yeah, you too, Mister Chief," Duke said. "Get laid and get rid of all that sexual tension, it'll make it a lot easier for all us to be around you. Might make you nicer. Helps the job too, if you're not so stressed out."

"Okay Duke," Evie cut across, standing up. "Let's go."

"We're leaving?" Duke asked in confusion.

"Yes, we're going back to the Rouge, remember?" Evie said. She walked around the table and took his elbow, pulling him to his feet. His brow furrowed in thought for a moment and then he grinned.

"Oh yeah, right," he said, nodding. The action made him lean slightly to one side and Evie was quick to pull his arm over her shoulders to steady him. "Okay, officers, go home. Time to close." He and Evie started heading for the doors, Duke saying in a sing-song voice, "If the boat's rockin', don't come knockin'."

"Fine," Audrey grumbled. She grabbed the whiskey bottle and her jacket, and then stood up. It took a minute for her to get stable on her feet, and when she looked across she saw Nathan was still doing the same thing. The rational part of her brain reminded her that there was no way he could drive home. "C'mon Nathan," she said, gesturing for him to follow. To her surprise he tailed her without complaint, out onto the deck and then up the flight of stairs to her apartment.

"It smells nice up here," Nathan said idly as he flopped down on the little loveseat, looking around.

"Thanks," Audrey said. She tossed her jacket and work shirt onto the desk chair and then sat down beside him, the whiskey bottle in her lap. Forgoing glasses, she just took her next swallow straight from the bottle. "This is good stuff."

"Mmhmm," Nathan agreed, pulling the bottle from her grip to take a drink. "Wonder what country he stole it from?"

"Probably a far away one," Audrey mused. "Like, Asia."

Nathan frowned thoughtfully. "I don't think Asia's a country," he said. Audrey, whose mouth was busy with the whiskey bottle, just shrugged in response. Honestly, she couldn't be bothered with geography at the moment. When she handed the bottle to Nathan she leaned sideways against him, resting her head against his shoulder. He was surprisingly comfortable.

"Your hair tickles," Nathan said with a soft laugh. He reached over and touched the place where a few strands of hair had come loose from her ponytail and were trailing against his bicep. "And it's really soft."

Audrey smiled, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder. It was much cooler in her apartment than it had been in the bar, and it felt good to curl up next to Nathan's warm body. He gave a quiet hum and she glanced up at his face. The moonlight illuminated his features; his strong jaw and high cheekbones and heavy brow. His cheeks were tinged pink and the front of his hair was mussed from pushing his hand back through it multiple times. Those bright gray-blue eyes glanced down at her and he smiled. Audrey was suddenly struck by the realization that he was a very handsome man.

"Do you think maybe Duke was right?" she asked, surprising herself when the words left her mouth.

"Never," Nathan said immediately. Then he paused and asked, "Wait, about what?"

"About sexual tension," Audrey explained. "Think maybe he's got a point? That we could be better at our jobs if we're not so - _tense_?"

Nathan stared at the wall pensively, tracing a finger around the rim of the bottle. "Maybe," he admitted. "It's easier to think when I'm not stressed. Dunno if it's bad enough to mess with work, but it might be." He took a deep swallow of the whiskey and then added, "Can't be sure though, it's been too long for me to remember."

"Whatcha mean?" Audrey asked, tilting her head to look up at him again without having to lift her cheek from his warm shoulder.

"Well it's been a long time, since, you know," he said and made an awkward gesture that she assumed had something to do with sex. "I haven't done it since my 'Fliction came back. So it's been a couple years."

"What about Jess?" Audrey pressed.

"We never did it," he said and gave a sheepish smile. "We tried, and we were going to, but then you got attacked and then she left. Just never happened." He passed her the bottle and then said, "What about you and Chris?"

"Once, yeah," she said.

"And?" Nathan prompted. "Did it work?"

"I guess maybe," Audrey said. "But then with that whole time loop thing right after I guess I never really felt un-stressed." They lapsed back into quiet, passing the bottle back and forth between them. A little breeze slipped in through the open patio door and she shivered, burrowing further into Nathan's side until her legs were practically in his lap. "We could always try it."

Nathan blinked and looked down at her, that little line carving down between his eyebrows in confusion. "Try what?"

"Sex," Audrey answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. They'd just been talking about it a few minutes ago, how had he forgotten already? "To see if it makes us feel better, and work better. I mean we're friends, so it won't be awkward. And if it doesn't work then we'll just forget about it."

"Wait, sex together?" Nathan asked, looking more and more confused. "Like, _we_ should have sex? With each other?"

"Sure," Audrey said. "You know, like friend sex. Just to get rid of the tension and all that. It'll work out good that way, because you're the only guy here I trust, and I'm the only person you can feel. So it makes sense, right?"

Nathan was frowning again, an intense look in his eyes that she knew meant he was thinking deeply. "Yeah, that does kinda make sense," he agreed. He lifted a hand to rub at his lower lip, something he always seemed to do when he was thinking about something."Won't that be weird though? 'Cause we're friends and we work together and all."

"We can make it work though," Audrey said assuredly, setting her hand on top of his. Nathan glanced down at the contact curiously. "Because we're best friends, remember? Best friends can do anything and still be best friends. Isn't that what everyone always says? Best friends forever." Audrey leaned up and pressed a quick kiss against his cheek. "You're my best friend forever, Nathan."

Nathan chuckled, but his free hand came up to touch the spot on his cheek where she'd kissed lightly. Audrey noticed and smiled. "Does it feel good, to feel kisses again?" she asked curiously. Distractedly, Nathan nodded. Audrey grinned and sat up, tucking her legs beneath her and pivoting to face him better on the little sofa. She laid a hand on his cheek. Nathan twitched at the touch but didn't pull away. Feeling determined, Audrey leaned in and kissed his cheek again, close to the corner of his mouth, and lingered there for several long seconds.

"It feels good, right?" she whispered against his skin. She felt a tremor go up his body, and heard as he swallowed roughly. "That's what we can do for each other, as friends. Remind each other how good it feels. There's nothing bad about that, right?"

Nathan took a slow, unsteady breath, and then leaned his head back to meet her gaze. She could see that his eyes had darkened slightly, and when he spoke his voice sounded ragged. "Couldn't hurt to try." The smallest of smiles curled up the edge of his lips and Audrey felt something inside of her stomach jump for joy. She placed a hand on either side of his face and crushed her lips against his. It was shallow and sloppy, but she couldn't deny that it felt fantastic.

Nathan responded immediately, grabbing her waist and pulling her so she straddled his lap for better leverage. Her hands moved up to comb through his hair and his slipped beneath the hem of her camisole to rest on her lower back. Chills went up her spine at the feeling of his coarse fingertips scraping across her skin. While one hand stayed on her back the other explored, from her hair to her bared shoulder to the curve of her arm. Their chests were pressed together and Audrey could feel the heat coming from his body, but somehow it just didn't feel close enough.

When her fingers curled around the hem of his tee-shirt Nathan shuddered and a strangled noise escaped him Audrey met his gaze curiously and was surprised to see he was blushing. "Sorry, it tickled," he said, looking embarrassed. Audrey laughed and kissed him soundly once again, breaking apart just long enough to drag his shirt over his head and toss it away. In the semi-darkness her eyes traced the lines of his torso eagerly. He went rigid when she splayed her hands against his chest, and a small moan left him as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Fascinated, Audrey began sliding her hands across his skin. She drew patterns and outlined muscles, watching the way her simple touch affected him. Even the smallest touches made him groan and fidget. His hands were fisted in the fabric of the sofa cushions, his knuckles white with the effort. It was amazing to her, just how much power she held over him. In a way it was oddly liberating. While everything in her life had tumbled apart around her, here was a place she had control.

Audrey leaned in and placed open-mouthed kisses down the side of his neck, across his shoulder and collarbone. Nathan practically writhed beneath her and another groan boiled low in his throat. "Parker," he gasped when she kissed the hollow beneath his collarbone, where an old faded scar gleamed on his skin. In a flash his restraint snapped and his hands went back to her waist, grabbing the hem of her camisole and lifting it up over her head so quickly that the lace hem tore. It was discarded blindly and then his hands were on her again and it was Audrey's turn to shudder.

"Nathan," Audrey said, panting. "We should prob-" she trailed off with a low moan as his fingers travelled up her sides, counting her ribs until they reached the bottom of her bra. Deciding on a much shorter sentence she simply said, "Bed."

Nathan gave a grunt of understanding and hooked his arms beneath her legs, lifting her with him in one swift movement. He carried her across the room to the bed and then gently laid her on the mattress. Audrey promptly sat up and reached for the button of his jeans. The fire was racing through her veins faster than her heart could pump it. They were getting close to the edge, close to passing that point of no return. And she couldn't care less. After all, that's what they were aiming for, wasn't it?

Her hands closed around the waistband of his pants and Nathan let out a small gasp at the feel of her fingertips on his abdomen. She undid the button and zipper as fast as her trembling fingers would allow, and then eased his jeans down over his hips. Nathan stepped out of his jeans and took his socks off, tossing them over his shoulder as he moved to kneel on the bed. When his hands reached tentatively for her jeans, Audrey obligingly laid back to give him better access. Nathan slid her pants down her legs deliberately, trailing his fingertips along each new inch of skin as it was exposed. That look in his eyes, the intense focus and sheer euphoria, made the flame curling in Audrey's stomach erupt in an inferno. Dear God she couldn't take much more of this.

Audrey grabbed his face and pulled him down to her in another kiss, and as she did his body stretched out over hers. The feel of his lean muscled body pressing down on her elicited another moan, tipping her far over the point of no return. There was no backing out now. She didn't just want now, she _needed_. And she didn't have to look to know that he was needy and ready for this as well, because she could feel him pressed hard up against her hipbone.

"Nathan," she rasped out and he nodded, as if he just instinctively understood all she was saying in just one word. His fingers made quick work of the last shreds of clothing. She could feel him there, ready and waiting, and her hips instinctively bucked against the contact. He growled deep in his chest, his body bowing to return the pressure, and the next thing she knew he was in.

"Oh God," Nathan gasped and his whole body went rigid. When she fidgeted underneath him, wanting to feel more of the way he could fill her, Nathan groaned. "Parker, wait," he said. "Stop."

"What's wrong?" Audrey asked uncertainly.

Nathan let out a wry, breathless chuckle. "Nothing. Just - give me a sec or this'll be over way too fast."

"Oh, right, sorry," Audrey said and she struggled to hold her body still. It was insanely hard to do with over six feet of lean, hard muscles pressed down over her body and inside of her. She waited until some of the tension had left Nathan's body, and then she leaned up and pressed feather light kisses along his jaw and his neck. "Okay, we'll take it slow then," she said, brushing her lips over his ear as she spoke.

Nathan moaned. "You're teasing me, Parker," he accused with a hint of a laugh in his voice.

Audrey chuckled, moving her hands slowly and determinedly up the length of Nathan's back so he shuddered under her touch. "Oh trust me, Wuornos, I haven't even started yet."


	2. Planning

Chapter 2

The first thing Audrey was aware of was that she was royally hung over. Her head was throbbing with the tempo of her heartbeat, picking up in speed as she woke up. There was a thick fuzzy feeling in her mouth and she ran her tongue along her teeth in a vain attempt to scrape away the cottony texture. Her stomach twisted and she couldn't stop herself from groaning into her pillow.

The second thing she made sense of was that she was sore. Not sore like she'd been in a fight, but a different kind of sore. It wasn't a wholly unpleasant feeling, just strange. She couldn't be sure whether the overwhelming urge to never get out of her bed was from the hangover or the aching muscles in her core.

And then another realization came to her that made her already pounding head even more confused. She was warm - more than she felt she should be. But it was only on the one side. No, scratch that, the heat wasn't even coming from her. It was coming from whatever was on her left side, pressing against her skin and radiating warmth. Like the sort of warmth that comes from another body. The other confusions she could deal with later, but this was a mystery that needed looking into.

Hating herself as she moved, Audrey rolled her head to the left and then slowly pried her eyes open. The sunlight was agonizingly painful and she grimaced, but she'd seen something near her face that warranted more investigation. Squinting against the light, she found herself staring into a pair of half-opened gray-blue eyes. Very familiar gray-blue eyes.

"Holy shit!" Audrey yelped at the same time that Nathan yelled, "What the hell?" Both of them bolted away from each other so quickly that they toppled over the sides of the bed, hitting the ground with heavy thumps. Audrey sat up and, on realizing that she was naked, grabbed the bed sheet off the mattress and wrapped it around her body. A moment later Nathan's head appeared from the other side of the bed and he snatched one of the pillows, dropping it in his lap.

"Uh, Nathan?" Audrey asked uncertainly. Her brain felt like it was full of static as she tried to remember just what in the hell she was doing in bed with Nathan Wuornos, naked. Groaning again, she pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to will away the headache reverberating between her temples. God what she wouldn't give for an extra strength ibuprofen right now. Or eight.

"Parker, did we-?" Nathan trailed off like he couldn't bring himself to finish the question. When she moved her hand away to meet his gaze she saw he looked just as confused as she did.

"I don't - I can't remember," Audrey admitted. The floor was feeling incredibly uncomfortable. She looked around to see if she could find any of her clothes, but all that she could see nearby were three socks. Her shirt and jeans were on the other side of the room by the sofa, buried among another set of clothes that were definitely not her own. She debated about going over for them but her head was swimming so badly she decided it wasn't worth it. She climbed back up onto the bed, keeping the sheet wrapped securely around herself. Nathan rubbed at his lip awkwardly before he sat down across from her on the mattress, the pillow still firmly planted in his lap and his arms folded over his chest as if he was trying to shield his body from her gaze. She caught him glancing shortly at his jeans, which had wound up in a heap beneath the piano bench.

"I think we did," Audrey finally said, struggling through her thoughts from the night before. It was difficult, from a combination of last night's drunkenness and today's hangover.

Nathan grumbled and let his head fall into his palm, closing his eyes. "It'd be easier to think if the world would stop spinning," he groused into his hand.

"Yeah well at least you don't have a headache," Audrey pointed out, and then leaned back against the headboard. She closed her eyes against the glare of the sunlight through her windows and it lessened the aching in her head slightly. Trying to think methodically, she walked back through the night before as best as she could. They had been celebrating the end of another tough case with drinks at the Gull. Audrey and Nathan had turned it into a competition, and she remembered drinking a lot more than she usually did. Then Duke and Evie had left, saying something about celebrating in private, and she and Nathan had come upstairs because she couldn't let him drive home or sleep cramped up in his truck. And then...

Oh right, now she remembered. Then they'd jumped each other like animals.

"Yeah," Audrey said slowly, drawing the word out so it took three times as long as it should have. "Yeah, the sex definitely happened."

"I thought so," Nathan said. "Otherwise that was a really vivid dream." They both just stood there for a minute, looking anywhere but at each other, and then Nathan added, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Audrey asked in surprise. She felt a little awkward about the situation, but she wasn't going to apologize. "I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm the one who started it. And it was definitely not the kind of sex that deserves an apology."

Nathan glanced up at her hesitantly. "Meaning...?"

Audrey couldn't help but smile, once again stunned just by how naive and clueless her partner could be when it came to these kinds of situations. "Meaning it was _good_."

"Oh." His ears had gone pink but she noticed that the corner of his lips had twitched upward slightly. "Really?"

"Well my memory's a little hazy, but if you want to try it again to check I'd be game," Audrey supplied casually. She tried to put enough humour into the comment that if Nathan was uncomfortable with the idea he could just laugh it off and they could brush this whole thing under the rug, even though she was hoping that he wouldn't.

Nathan scrutinized her face thoughtfully. "So we'd be like – friends with benefits?" he asked uncertainly. "Won't that make things weird, you know, between us? As friends?"

"It doesn't have to be," Audrey said. "We're best friends and we've been through a lot together. What's one more thing? And it worked for what we wanted it to, didn't it? For releasing the tension. I mean, it did for me anyway. Did it work for you?"

"Yes," Nathan said a bit too quickly. He cleared his throat and said more calmly, "Well, yes, it worked."

"Okay, so then we can look at it like a purely casual thing," Audrey continued. "Just a little stress relief from one partner to the other. We don't have to make it into anything weird. It'll be just like when we get drinks together to unwind, or if I was to come over and help you decoupage."

Nathan narrowed his eyes. "Parker, I think decoupage night with you would be the most stressful event of my life."

Audrey tossed the other pillow at his head. "I'm being serious here," she said. "Sex is just a basic animal instinct, right? So this way we can just get it out of our systems and it'll make it easier to focus on work."

"Not to mention it's great cardio," Nathan chipped in dryly. Audrey regretted the fact that she didn't have another pillow to throw at him, so she settled for shooting an annoyed glare at him.

"You know what, never mind," she said, exasperatedly tossing up the hand that wasn't holding the blanket in place. "I changed my mind; this sounds like a horrible idea."

"No it doesn't," Nathan said and all joking had left his face now.

Audrey eyed him sceptically, looking for any sign that he was mocking her, but he simply stared back resolutely. "So you agree?"

"Yes, I do," he responded. "What can it hurt, right?"

"Okay," she said. They hesitated for another moment and then she looked up with a tentative smile. "So - sex buddies?" she asked, extending a hand toward him.

Nathan chuckled but reached out and took her hand, shaking it. "Sex buddies."

Audrey leaned back against the headboard again, letting out a heavy breath and feeling the ache in the base of her skull lighten up slightly. "What a crazy morning," she murmured and Nathan chuckled shortly in response. She pried her eyes open just enough to regard him through her eyelashes. He was still sitting at the foot of her bed, his long legs crossed in front of him with her pillow in his lap although she could clearly remember just what he was hiding underneath there. Above that she could see his lean, trim torso all the way up to his broad shoulders, and the faint shadow of stubble along his jaw line. He was rubbing at his lower lip distractedly, an intense, brooding look in his stormy blue eyes. She couldn't help but flash back to the night before, when that intense gaze had been fixed solely and completely on her, and warmth curled deep in her stomach, making her fidget.

"You know, it's been a pretty _stressful_ morning so far," she said slowly, dragging out the word pointedly.

The faintest smirk curled up Nathan's lips as he looked across at her. "Well I could do something about that, if you want," he offered in a forcibly nonchalant way. "You know, one partner to another."

"I think that sounds like a good idea," she agreed and let the bed sheet drop. For a moment Nathan looked stunned so she leaned forward, grinning mischievously, and grabbed his hand to pull him up the length of the bed to join her.

.

.

.

.

Duke sipped at his tea and then set it on the ground next to him. Taking up the little package of chalk again, he went back to drawing on the blackboard sign hanging outside the Gull. It was just after ten in the morning and he had another hour or so until the weekend brunch crowd would start filtering in. With his tongue between his teeth, he started filling in the board.

He'd hardly written the words "Saturday Specials" across the top when he heard a set of feet thudding down the stairs on the side of the building. He smirked, because those were definitely not Audrey's footsteps. A second later Nathan Wuornos walked around the corner, looking pleased with himself and distinctly ruffled. He'd only taken a few steps when he spotted Duke and the smile slipped off his face.

"Morning, Nathan," Duke said, tossing him a mock salute. "Something happen to Audrey?"

"No," Nathan said, eyeing him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Just wondering what brings the chief of police over so early in the morning," Duke answered. "If my tenant's getting into trouble I'll evict her. Can't have that kind of bad influence around my place of business."

"Of course not," Nathan said sarcastically. "Not with your squeaky clean reputation."

"Exactly," Duke said, jabbing the chalk in his direction as emphasis.

Nathan rolled his eyes. "Relax, Mr. Landlord," he said dryly. "Nothing to worry about. Just sleeping off a hangover thanks to your imported alcohol."

"I told you it was good stuff," Duke said smugly. "Well, all right then, as long as she's not up to any mischief. You keep a good eye on her, Chief; keep her from getting up to anything - _dirty_." He stressed the word significantly and waggled his eyebrows.

Nathan turned on his heel and walked away up the hill without responding, but as he did Duke caught sight of the fierce blush creeping up the back of the officer's neck.

"Don't be afraid to give her a little tough lovin' if you gotta," Duke called after him. Nathan didn't even bother to spare him a glance before climbing into his Bronco and driving away. Duke chuckled to himself as he finished drawing up his sign, and then went inside.

"So it worked then?" Evie asked, looking up from the cup of tea that she was drinking at the bar.

Duke grinned as he took the seat beside her, dropping his things on the bar. "Oh most definitely."

Evie shook her head. "I can't believe your little plan actually worked. You got them together."

"Well, they're not together, exactly," Duke said with a half-hearted shrug. "They slept together but they're not a couple yet. If they were he would've just stayed up there with her all day. Trust me; no guy leaves Audrey Parker if he doesn't have to."

"You've got to be kidding me," Evie said. "My God, those two are impossible."

"No, just stubborn." Duke drained the last of his tea and then turned sideways, resting one elbow on the countertop and fixing her with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll get them together. No doubt about it."

"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Evie remarked sarcastically.

"That's because I am," Duke answered. "They're the sort of fate that you can't screw with."

"I thought you didn't believe in fate," Evie pointed out, arching an eyebrow curiously.

"I don't when it relates to me," Duke said off-handedly. "But as for those two? Yeah, it's some kind of weird freak fate thing. I'll have them together in no time."

Evie laughed. "Please, if it's taken this long to get them this far, I highly doubt you're going to get them all the way so fast," she said. "Even if they do get together, I'm betting it'll take at least another couple months before they do it."

The smirk that spread across Duke's face just screamed of trouble. "I'd take that bet, Mrs. Crocker," he said deliberately. "I'll bet you I can get them together in two weeks."

"Two weeks," Evie repeated sceptically. "It's taken like a year and a half just to get them to sleep together, and you think you can make them a real couple in two weeks." Duke simply nodded. "Oh you are so on."

Duke grinned as he took her proffered hand and shook it. "Excellent," he said. "The game is on."


	3. Rationalizing

AN: Hey guys, I'm SO sorry I'm late in posting this. I've been crazy sick for the last few days so I haven't done much more than stare at the ceiling and sleep. (Also why I haven't updated The Archives yet for those of you following that as well.) It won't happen again, promise!

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

Audrey had never felt so – _satisfied_. Duke was right, not that she'd tell him that of course. His ego was inflated enough as it was. But the sex really had helped her. She felt relaxed and loose in a way she hadn't felt in months. Well, she'd felt that way after her night with Chris, at least she had until she'd gotten caught up in that time loop that had worn her down to her very core. No, today she didn't have to be in to the station unless an emergency came up and she was sated and relaxed. She was going to enjoy it.

The bed was warm, both from body heat and the sunlight streaming in through the window. Audrey rolled over and snuggled deeper into the covers, sorely tempted to go back to sleep again. It had been a late night after all. As she burrowed her face into the pillow she was struck by the scent of a very familiar cologne and she couldn't help but smile at the memories it brought to the surface.

She never would've imagined having sex with Nathan Wuornos. Nathan, of all people. They were partners and friends, but she'd never really thought about him _intimately_. At least not beyond admiring the way those tight teeshirts fit on his lean frame, of course. But that was just an objective observation. Everyone could see that. But once the idea had been put in her head last night it had suddenly seemed entirely sensible. They were best friends and they shared everything. So why was a little physical stress relief so out of the question? It wasn't.

The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. She was the only person that Nathan could feel, at least until the Troubles went away again and his Affliction with it. So until then, he couldn't just go celibate. It was a basic human need, like eating or sleeping. And there was definitely no denying that they were both stressed. Fighting the Troubles was not exactly an easy job, and it was only getting more complicated the farther they got into it. So Nathan was given the chance to really feel, and she was given the chance to be with someone she trusted, while they both burnt off steam from work. It was perfectly logical.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she had thought sex with Nathan would be awkward, but it hadn't been. It had been amazing. They had always worked together well in every other facet, so why not the bedroom as well? Nathan was incredibly thorough, paying attention to every inch of her body and staring at her with a look bordering on reverence that made her feel like a goddess. And he was perfectly content to let Audrey take control and do with him as she wished, which worked out wonderfully for her. The fact that she could wield so much power over a person, especially someone as strong and stubborn as Nathan, was emboldening. It felt good to know that there was at least something in her life that was within her control, and it seemed that making Nathan writhe and moan was a power that she possessed in surplus.

Deciding that there was no way that she'd be able to get back to sleep now with that delicious heat curling in her stomach, Audrey threw off the blankets and got up. Her skin still felt slick with sweat, so she headed straight for the shower. She turned the water down cooler than she normally would, hoping that it would help her clear her head. This friends-with-benefits thing would never work if she couldn't stop thinking about it; that sort of defeated the purpose.

After she'd finished her shower Audrey wandered downstairs in search of a cold beer to wash down the handful of ibuprofen that she'd taken to quell that lingering ache in her forehead. As much as sex did wonders for the rest of her body, it hadn't managed to get rid of the headache brought on by her hangover. When she got down into the bar she found Evie Crocker sitting at the counter, curiously examining an edition of the Haven Herald. She glanced up when Audrey came in.

"Hey Audrey," she said. "How's your head?"

"Pounding," Audrey answered. She snuck behind the bar and pulled one of the beer bottles from the fridge beneath the counter, and then went around to sit next to Evie. "What about you?"

"I quit drinking early enough to avoid a real hangover," Evie said and grinned.

"Lucky you," Audrey said. She took a long pull from her beer and then let out a contented sigh.

Evie turned back to the front page of the newspaper and showed the headline to her. "Looks like your boys have already managed to cover-up what happened this week," she said. "Two people dead, almost an entire cliff crumbled into the ocean, and a square mile of forest flattened. They pass it off as a freak storm and everyone just goes back to the way they were before." She shook her head and folded the paper. "This place and its secrets will never cease to amaze me."

"Tell me about it," Audrey said and laughed.

"But you know one thing that's not going to stay secret around here?" Evie asked. When Audrey glanced sideways at her, there was a mischievous glint in her eye that made her uneasy. That was the same sort of look Duke got when he was about to cause trouble. She could see why he and Evie were drawn to each other. "You and Nathan sleeping together."

Audrey was suddenly grateful that she hadn't just taken another drink of her beer, because if she had she would've spit it all over the place. Instead she just choked awkwardly on her breath. "How do you -" She stuttered off, realizing that she'd just given herself away. Evie grinned triumphantly as Audrey let out a heavy sigh and rested her head in her palm. "How'd you know?"

"I was here for Nathan's walk of shame this morning," Evie answered. "So, you and Nathan huh?"

"It's not what you think," Audrey said quickly. "We're not dating or anything. It's just sex."

Evie arched an eyebrow. "Just sex," she repeated. "You mean like fuck buddies?"

"Basically yeah," Audrey said and was embarrassed to feel her ears and cheeks burn. There was no reason to be ashamed about it, so why was she so embarrassed to let people know she was sleeping with her best friend. "It's just like Duke said last night. We needed to get it out of our system, so that's what we're doing."

"Wow." Evie pursed her lips thoughtfully and then grinned. "If I knew the Haven PD had such a great benefits package I'd have joined up. Does that come with dental?"

"You're terrible," Audrey informed her even as she laughed.

"Is he good though?" Evie asked curiously. "I mean, with that whole not being able to feel thing?"

Audrey opened her mouth before she realized that they didn't know he could feel her. Nathan hadn't told anyone but her. She'd assumed that Duke had known, or at least by the knowing glances he gave them sometimes she'd thought he must have guessed. But if he had then he hadn't shared his idea with Evie. "He compensates in other ways," she answered elusively, giving a coy grin to top off the lie.

Well, not exactly a lie. He did seem to pay just as much attention to his other senses as well; he had looked and smelled and tasted and listened. Being the sole focus of a man's every sense was oddly erotic, especially knowing that she was the only one that could do that for him now.

"Intriguing," Evie said and her smirk was coquettish.

"Yeah," Audrey agreed distractedly. "Well anyway, I'm going to go. I've got some errands I want to run. I'll see you later." Evie eyed her suspiciously even as she nodded and waved goodbye. Audrey dropped her empty beer bottle into the trash bin, and then left the Gull. Honestly she did have a few small errands that she planned to run, but it wasn't anything that demanded immediate attention. Mostly she'd just wanted to escape the awkward conversation.

Rubbing at the dull pounding in the back of her head, Audrey distantly wondered if maybe she'd need to invite Nathan over again tonight.

.

.

.

.

Nathan hated town committee meetings. They happened every first Saturday of the month and as Interim Police Chief he was required to attend. Listening to elderly members of the community bickering over crosswalk regulations and fundraisers was not exactly his favourite way to spend his Saturday. He hated them on a normal day. Today, he loathed them, and that had everything to do with what he'd had to leave behind to come to this stupid meeting.

His mind slipped away from Ethan Capps giving an impassioned speech about the Harvest Fair as he thought over the last twelve hours. He remembered a lot more of the previous night now that he'd had the chance to really sit and think. He could now remember the way Audrey had propositioned him on her sofa. The light in her eyes that had sparked when he'd given her idea a shot. Her kiss, strong and possessive on his lips and his neck and every other inch of exposed skin that she could get to. Each breathless moan that she'd made at his touch. That dark, lustful stare of her blue eyes as she gazed up at him from the bed.

It was without a doubt the greatest experience of his life. An experience he was greatly looking forward to repeating again and again.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he felt a small twist of guilt. No matter how he tried to play it, the truth was that in the end it still came out sounding like he was using Audrey for sex. It wasn't that, really. Well, technically he supposed it was. That's what they'd agreed on. But at the same time he knew it was more. He felt things for Audrey that he'd never felt for another woman before. It was probably wrong of him to sleep with her without telling her that, but he tried to tell himself it was for the best.

Audrey had trust issues, and with everything that she'd been through he couldn't blame her. This was just another way for him to prove himself to her. To let her see that he was someone she could trust and rely on to make her happy and keep her safe. There were times that he looked into her eyes and he saw the way he felt reflected back at him. Those feelings were there, underneath. He just needed to get her to open up enough to understand that.

If it meant them having the most amazing sex of all time, well, that was just a bonus, really. A very, very nice bonus.

"We really need to bring in more volunteers this year," Ethan said fervently. "Last year was a poor year, we need to do better."

The sex had definitely been amazing too. She was so focused. She had seemed intent on evoking pleasure in every molecule of his body, and she was good at doing so. Even in her inebriated state she'd made a point to always keep as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. She had gone out of her way to make sure that he could enjoy it just as much as she could. He took that as a sign that they were meant to be together this way. They way that they moved together was as natural as breathing. Instinctual. Fate.

What really fascinated him was the way that she had overpowered him. Nathan had never been one to surrender control. With so little connection to the world around him, he liked to always have a grasp on himself and his surroundings. For safety's sake, as well as his own peace of mind. Control was essential to his way of life.

It was one of the reasons – admittedly not the biggest, but still very present - that he hated Chris Brody so much. Around him he lost all control of his own mind and body, and he was left at the mercy of Chris' whims. His inability to give up the control was something that had gotten him into trouble with the Chief, as well as teachers, coaches, and that one college girlfriend. He liked being in charge of himself.

And yet last night he had all too willingly handed the reins off to Audrey. Of course he was pretty sure that if he hadn't given them over, she would have just taken them by force. Nothing stopped her when she set her mind to something. Last night she had taken complete and total control over him, mind, body, and soul.

Somehow he wasn't frightened by that at all.

She could manipulate him with her words. Her gaze could simultaneously melt and freeze him. She could make him moan, arch, thrash, and beg, all with simple touches and heady whispers. Defiant and stubborn Nathan Wuornos had become totally submissive in the face of five-and-a-half feet of blonde hair and blue eyes. How he was so comfortable with - and even turned on by - that loss of control he couldn't even begin to understand.

"Rosemary has already signed on to provide for the pie eating contest, as well as her own booth."

Audrey's apartment had smelt like baked sweets. He wondered if she'd become so fond of those cupcakes that they'd become a permanent fixture in her apartment. Her skin had tasted sweet beneath the salty tang of sweat, like she had been coated with sugar. In his mind he imagined sugar crystals glittering on her skin, licking them away. She was eating one of her favourite little cupcakes, blue and yellow sprinkles on her lips and she dipped her tongue out to sweep them in. There was a dollop of white frosting just above her lip and he leaned in to suck it away, tasting the glorious mix of body and sugar, feeling the smoothness of her skin beneath his livened tongue.

"Don't you agree, Chief Wuornos?"

Nathan startled out of his fantasy and looked over at Ethan Capps, who was staring at him expectantly. "Yes, of course," he agreed, wondering what he'd just agreed to. He'd been too caught up in his daydream to pay attention to the conversation going on in front of him.

"Excellent," Ethan said and grinned. "So the police department will run the dunking booth; that should raise a lot of money."

Nathan groaned inwardly. Damn it, had he really just agreed to that? He really needed to pay better attention to these things. Whether he liked them or not, it was part of his duty as the chief of police. He needed to get his mind off of Audrey, that's all. He pulled out his cell phone to check the time, but when he glanced down at it something else caught his eye. Was that just shadows or - No, the bulge in his pants was definitely much bigger than it was supposed to be. God, now he'd really done it.

Hastily tucking his phone away again, Nathan took a deep breath and tried to clear his head. There was no way he was walking out of a town council meeting full of bickering old people with an erection. What were those tricks he'd used as a teen to fix this problem? Right, focus on something simple and mundane.

A chair. He stared at the empty chair on the other side of the table, just a blank, wooden chair. It was just a chair. He was sitting in a chair, nothing exciting about that. Just a chair. He could just sit in a chair. And then Audrey would straddle his lap, her long legs wrapped around the back of the chair to keep him pinned into place as she ground down on him. _Shit_. Nope, chair wasn't working.

The wall. Plain brick wall. Flat reddish-brown bricks. Audrey's pale skin contrasting against the dull colour as he pressed her body up against the wall and kept her there with just the sheer force of his body. No, think about something different. The ocean. Just a stretch of blue, all the way to the horizon. He could just sit on the beach and stare out across the water. Nothing but water. And Audrey was next to him on the beach, and he could taste the salt water on her lips and feel the grit of sand stuck to her moist skin.

_God damn it._ This had always worked in high school, why couldn't he make it work now?

There was nothing for it. Obviously his own mind couldn't be trusted right now, so he'd have to turn to something else for a distraction. He'd have to subject himself to the most mundane torture he could think of: He'd have to actually pay attention to the council meeting.

"Now, we really do need to do something about parking along the high street," Gary Harmon chipped in suddenly. "People keep parking outside my shop and my customers have to walk all the way down the block. Can't you do something about those folks, Nathan? Tow their cars or something?"

Oh dear god, not this again. "No, Gary, we talked about this last month. They have the right to park there if they want. You knew that when you set up your shop there. I can't go towing people's cars away for parking where they're supposed to park."

The rest of them degenerated into more ill-tempered arguing and Nathan forced himself to pay attention and participate. It was another two hours later before they had run down their time and he was sure that he had a headache whether he could feel it or not. The only plus side was that his weariness and irritation had made it so he was safe to stand up without causing a scandal. Gary Harmon tried to corner him to continue his campaign for towing the cars of innocent shoppers but the chirping of his phone gave Nathan an excuse to step away.

He opened the text message, expecting to see an all police bulletin, but instead he found a simple note with Audrey's name listed in the contact box. _"Bad day. You busy tonight?"_ Nathan couldn't stop himself from grinning.

"Sorry Gary, I've got work to do," he said, taking his chance to slip out of the council room and head for the Bronco. Once he was safely inside the cab, he reopened the text and sent a quick reply. _"On my way."_ Smiling to himself, he shifted the truck into drive and headed toward the Gull, only stopping to pick up a small carton of cupcakes from Rosemary's. Because God that image of Audrey licking frosting from her lips was just too much for his brain to handle, and he desperately wanted to see it for real.


	4. Experimenting

AN: You all can thank Faith_Chan for this chapter, because if not for her insistence and support this chapter would've been axed and left in the scrap heap. But she helped me ressurect it and turn it into my first real piece of smut!fic that earns this story it's M rating. So if you enjoy it, thank Faith_Chan because it's all her fault, lol.

Shameless self-pimping: Starting a YouTube vlog. Check out my Facebook page for more deets! Oh God, did I really just say deets? Yikes!

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><p><span>Chapter 4<span>

Nathan had honestly never expected to find himself in this situation. Really, who would? And yet there was definitely no denying that it was really happening.

He had brought cupcakes for Audrey when he came over after the council meeting and they had sat on the couch and talked about their days while they ate them. Audrey had told him about her awkward conversation with Evie, and Nathan had filled her in on the monotonous city council meeting.

Talking had turned to making-out after Nathan hadn't been able to handle staring at that little blue sprinkle on her upper lip any longer. She seemed surprised that he was the one to take the lead, but she quickly jumped in and seized control. Her shirt and bra were pulled off, and then his tee-shirt joined it shortly after as they laid out across the sofa. She'd laughed and before he could ask what was so funny she'd leaned in and dragged her tongue along his jaw. When she pulled back she smirked and said, "You had frosting on your cheek there."

"That was an effective way to remove it," he said dryly, mind still reeling a bit from the sensation.

For some reason that just made Audrey's grin broaden. "I thought so too," she said. Then she'd grabbed one of the cupcakes, scraped the frosting off into her hand, and smeared it over his chest.

"Parker!" he protested in alarm, but she loomed over him, keeping him pinned to the sofa with her stare and that devilish smirk. "What was that for?"

"So I can do this," she answered calmly. And then she'd bent over and slid her tongue up his chest. Nathan moaned and arched under her, the feel of her warm, moist tongue on his skin sending chills through him. She drew back just long enough to realign herself and then repeated the move, licking the frosting off his skin slowly and deliberately. He could feel her breath where it graced across his damp skin and it made goosepimples erupt over his flesh in the wake of her touch.

Nathan fought to say something but every time he managed to string a few words together in his brain she would swipe her tongue over his skin again and the words would disappear into the electric fog inside his head. His hands closed around her upper arms and he dragged her up to his lips, kissing her and tasting the sugar on her tongue. She returned the kiss for a minute and then pulled back, making him groan.

"You do that and you'll get frosting all over me too," she reprimanded playfully.

"Yeah, that would be a shame," Nathan said sarcastically. She stuck one of her frosting-coated fingers into her mouth and sucked it off pointedly, and he suddenly found it incredibly hard to breathe. "You know I never thought these sort of things happened outside of fantasies."

"Well the fantasies have to get it right every once in a while," Audrey answered and with a smirk, and then that damn talented tongue went back to teasing the nerves on his chest. As it glided up his sternum and into the hollow at the base of his throat Nathan gripped the sofa cushions so hard he was afraid he might tear the fabric. He couldn't handle much more of this.

She sat up above him and his eyes landed on a little spot of white frosting gleaming like snow on her breast, and he quickly lunged forward and covered the spot with his mouth. Her skin was smooth as silk and he could taste the spicy tang of her under the crystallized sugar. He moved his mouth from there to her nipple and she arched against him, a sultry purr coming from deep in her throat. As he continued to tease the spot, alternating between teeth and tongue, he felt it harden under his ministrations and she rocked forward on him to the point where he could feel the warm skin between her legs on his waist.

"Nathan," she moaned and her hands closed around his shoulders, her little rounded fingernails nipping at his skin. After a second she applied pressure with her hands, pushing him until he was flat on the sofa again and she hovered over him. "I told you to hold still," she said, a mischievous smirk on her lips. "You really have no self control, do you?"

"I have self control," Nathan argued, although his voice came out ragged and almost a full octave lower than normal. He smirked and then added, "You're just a tease who gets some sort of pleasure out of tormenting me."

"Oh please, I'm not tormenting you," Audrey said and chuckled. He felt like he could easily both agree and disagree with that statement. "Now hold still or I'll have to go get the cuffs off your belt." Nathan groaned but fisted his hands in the sofa cushions again, because he wouldn't put it past Parker to cuff him to her bed and then really torture his sensitive nerves. Audrey grinned at him in a very self-satisfied way and went back to ridding him of the last traces of frosting.

Nathan was quite positive that he was going to pull a muscle in his arms from the strain of controlling himself, but then he felt Audrey stop. He could still feel her breath on his damp stomach so he knew she hadn't gone anywhere. When he felt fingers on his hips his eyes snapped open and he looked down to see that she was easing his pants and boxers down over his hips. He barely realized what she was going to do before she took him into her mouth.

A strangled sort of yelp escaped Nathan as every muscle in his body tensed in surprise. The warm, moistness of her mouth around his length sent his head swimming and he couldn't focus on anything except the contact. She swiped her tongue across the tip and he twisted on the sofa, moaning her name from the back of his throat. He couldn't take this. He was going to lose his mind.

Audrey abruptly pulled away and Nathan groaned loudly in protest. She chuckled, kissing a trail up his stomach until her face was level with his, her body stretched out over the top of his. "You know, we really can't get into the bed now, you're still sticky from the frosting and I don't want that all over my sheets," she said, her voice low and seductive. He wondered if she even knew just how sexy she was. "So I have a better idea. C'mon."

She stood up and stared down at him pointedly. Nathan took several deep breaths to clear his head a little. His limbs didn't seem to want to respond as he struggled to sit up. His jeans were hanging around his knees, so he just shoved them off and stood up, wavering on his feet like he was drunk. Audrey took his hand and led him across the apartment and into the little bathroom in the corner. Nathan watched in awe as she reached in and turned on the shower, and then stripped out of her jeans and underwear and stepped under the spray.

Nathan was fairly certain his eyes were bulging out of his head as he stared at her. The water coursed over her skin in glittering rivers, rolling all the way from her face to her feet. It made her hair darken, turning it into a thin sheet of light brown that clung to her cheeks in delicate tendrils. She ran a hand back through her hair and then looked at him, a small smile quirking up his lips. "Care to join me?" she asked playfully. When he still didn't move her expression turned softer and she added, "Don't worry, it's barely more than luke-warm."

The comment was so touching that Nathan didn't even bother to tell her that wasn't why he'd been standing there like a fool. Instead he just stepped into the shower with her, watching the water hit his skin and feeling none of it.

Audrey smiled and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him flush against her body. As she did he felt the warmth and the moisture of the water on her skin. He couldn't actually feel the water, but he could feel the effect it had on her body and that was close enough for him. He ran his hands determinedly over her body, feeling the slickness and the heat, and then dragged his fingers through her soaked hair and coiled it around his fingers.

Audrey stood on her toes and kissed him, running her hands over his chest and shoulders and arms so he could feel the warm water on his own body. Nathan breathed in the thin layer of steam in the air, feeling the way it thickened his breath. He needed her closer, all around him. His arms hooked around her hips and hoisted her up, and she immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Nathan positioned himself beneath her and then let her hips drop until he was inside of her.

"Oh God," Nathan grunted and braced himself against the wall of the shower and Audrey let out a breathy gasp and tightened her grip around his waist, her hands grasping at his neck and shoulders. He took a few ragged breaths to steady himself and then grabbed her hips, shifting her against him. She followed his cue and pivoted her hips, tilting so he entered all the way and then drawing back. Nathan held onto her, keeping her pinned between the wall and his body as she arched and bucked against him.

It felt miraculous, the way it felt the last two times they'd been together. Their bodies moved perfectly in sync, and Nathan felt connected to her in a way he'd never felt with another woman before. Even when he'd been able to feel, sex had never felt like this.

Determined to make sure she enjoyed it as much as he did, Nathan slipped one hand away from her hips and placed it between them, finding the heat where their bodies were connected. He stroked at her sensitive spot, revelling in the hot, slick friction, and she let out a low mewling sound, her nails digging into him again. Nathan grinned and kissed at the side of her neck while his fingers rubbed a rhythm in time with the twist of her hips. She ground down against him faster when he pushed, their bodies pressing harder into the slick shower wall.

"Nathan," she panted and her fingernails scraped through his hair, forcefully tipping his head backward. She used the leverage to kiss his neck, her teeth grazing the sensitive pulse point until he moaned. "Nathan, I'm..."

"I know," he growled. He could feel how close she was to the brink; could feel her internal walls tightening around him. She bit his neck and he jerked in response, driving deep into her. She came hard, half-screaming his name, and as her walls closed in around him Nathan came too. He gave a few weak, disoriented thrusts until he'd rode out the waves and then he slumped against her, barely able to keep his legs from collapsing beneath him.

"Wow," Audrey mumbled against his shoulder. Nathan let out a breathless laugh, because that pretty much summed up what he was thinking too. After a minute she shifted against him and he took a step back from the wall, easing her back down to the floor. They both stood under the spray of water, leaning against the wall while they regained their footing.

"That, uh - " Nathan trailed off as he tried to catch his breath. "That was a good idea."

Audrey glanced up at him and smirked, brushing a strand of her wet hair out of her face. "I thought so too," she agreed. They exchanged grins, and then washed off and stepped out of the shower. Audrey tossed Nathan a towel and after he'd dried off he wrapped it around his hips and followed her out into the main room. They both sank down on the sofa again, still working to regain their composure.

"You know," Audrey started and he looked over at her curiously, "for a guy who hasn't had sex in years, you're really good at it."

Nathan grinned, trying not to look too pleased by the comment. "I never would've thought Audrey Parker was so kinky," he said. "Threatening to cuff me? Really?"

Pink flushed back into Audrey's cheeks but she laughed and shrugged. "It worked, didn't it," she pointed out. "You were getting frosting on my couch."

"Because you put frosting on me," Nathan replied. "I think that makes it your fault. Maybe you're the one who needs to be cuffed to the bedpost."

"You wouldn't dare," Audrey said. Honestly the idea of having her completely at his mercy, to be able to explore every centimetre of her body at his own pace and leisure, was an intoxicating thought. But he could tell by her stare that that was not the answer to give, so he nodded silently. She needed her sense of control, he understood that. Maybe someday he'd be able to convince her to trust him that way...

For now, he'd just enjoy the hell out of where they were at.

Audrey stretched lazily, looking content, and then she reached forward and snatched the last cupcake from the tray. "Wanna split it?" she asked.

"No thanks," Nathan said with a small grin. "I think I've worn enough desserts for the day."

"Suit yourself," Audrey said and she ate the cupcake in three bites. When she was finished she looked over at the kitchen and then wrinkled her nose distastefully. "Are you hungry? Because I was thinking about calling in take-out."

Nathan chuckled. After everything they'd just done, and even as they sat on her couch wearing nothing but towels, it had somehow turned into just another Saturday night for them. "Sure, dinner sounds good."


	5. Stammering

AN: We're over the halfway point now! Thanks again for your continued support.

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><p><span>Chapter 5<span>

It was almost alarming just how quickly having sex together because just another part of their routine.

Nathan spent most of Sunday in Bangor meeting with the county police, so he didn't see her again until they were at work on Monday morning. It was strange for him to see her in such a casual way after the way they'd spent their Saturday, and he had to consciously remind himself not to stand too close or stare too long to avoid the suspicion of the other officers. He confined himself to his office, using the Trouble-free day to get caught up on paperwork and avoid Audrey.

She seemed to be having a far easier time of things than he was, or at least if it was difficult for her she did a great job of hiding it. She still came in and tested his coffee first thing in the morning to make sure it wasn't too hot - he had stared rather too obviously at her rosebud lips curving around the rim of the coffee cup - and she lingered in his doorway chatting for a few minutes before going back to her office to work on her own papers.

It was a long, awkward day for Nathan. He felt jumpy and uncertain all day long and he was sure everyone could guess there was something up with him. When the end of the shift came and nearly all of the officers filtered out for the night, he breathed a sigh of relief. It would be a lot easier to catch up on his paperwork without people shooting glances at him. He had just turned to a budget request form when he heard a light knock on his door frame. The scent of lilies and lilacs in the air told him who it was even before he looked up.

"Hey boss," Audrey said and there was something playful in the crook of her lips as she leaned against the door frame. "Busy day?"

"Same as usual," Nathan answered off-handedly. "Only without people catching fire or causing landslides."

"I was going to head home and have some dinner, and maybe look through some of our files on Lucy, see if I can find something we've missed," she said. "You wanna come?"

Nathan glanced down at the monotonous sheet of numbers on his desk and then back up at the pretty blonde smirking at him from the door. He immediately stood, grabbed his jacket, and followed her outside. Their evening went much the same as it usually did when they got together after work; dinner, chat, a few beers, more circling discussions about the Troubles. Only this time when Audrey got frustrated with the lack of answers and decided she needed to step back from the research for a minute, she pounced on him.

The same thing happened on Tuesday night, and again on Wednesday. It wasn't until Thursday night, as they lay panting on the bed, that Nathan even realized what had happened. Having sex together had gone from being a casual thing to a habitual occurrence. Somehow he wasn't sure this was what they had intended on when they started this whole thing.

"You want something to drink?" Audrey asked. Nathan was pleased to hear that she was still oddly breathless. It made him feel good to know that he could give her the same pleasures that she gave to him.

"Water would be nice," Nathan agreed. Audrey nodded and then sat up, and Nathan felt the warm tingle that accompanied her touch disappear from his side as she did so. He wanted nothing more than to grab her and hold onto her for dear life, and keep that feeling of her against him. Unfortunately cuddling didn't exactly fit into the guidelines of their friends-with-benefits status. He never would've figured himself for a cuddler, but then there were a lot of things he'd never considered before Audrey Parker.

Audrey slid off the bed and grabbed the first article of clothing she could find, which just so happened to be his shirt, and pulled it over her head on the way to the kitchenette in the corner. Nathan admired the way his shirt hung on her smaller frame, the sleeves hitting at nearly her elbows and the hem brushing against her thighs. Her hair was dishevelled from him curling his fingers into it, and when she turned back to him she was smiling, her cheeks still flushed. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.

"Here ya go," she said, handing one of the glasses to him as she sat down on the mattress again. Nathan took a grateful swallow and leaned back against the headboard, murmuring a quiet thanks. Audrey sipped languidly at her water, her other hand dragging through her hair in an attempt to smooth it down. "So what do you say; dinner and then back to the files? I'm not quite in the mood to go back to them just yet, and I'm hungry."

"_Your_ cooking?" Nathan asked, arching an eyebrow hesitantly. Audrey smacked his chest and he cringed at the contact of her palm on his bare skin. "Ow! I was kidding. Yes, dinner sounds good."

Audrey got up and headed for the kitchen again, muttering, "See if I ever feed you again." Nathan chuckled and rooted around in the pile of clothes until he found his underwear and jeans. He put them on and shifted aside a stack of papers so he could sit down on the sofa. While he pretended to be reading an old newspaper clipping, he watched Audrey in the kitchen.

She was humming to herself as she worked over the stove, occasionally pausing to push the loose sleeves of the tee-shirt up and out of her way. He noticed the way she seemed to walk up on the balls of her feet when she was barefoot, making the muscles in her calves flex. It was all very natural, the way she moved. Ten minutes later she brought two plates of steaming grilled cheese sandwiches over to the sofa and they sat eating them, talking idly about work as they did.

To Nathan the whole scene felt oddly domestic. It felt like home, and in that instant he realized he had gotten himself in way over his head.

He knew from the beginning that he was in deep water with this whole situation. If he was honest with himself he was in trouble from the moment he'd found her in that rental car, precariously balanced on the edge of a cliff. There had always been an attraction to her, even before he realized he could feel her touch. The dry banter, the sarcastic comments, the way she held her ground against everything that this town threw at her. She was incredible to him. But to really think that he could pull off this friends-with-benefits thing? He had to be insane.

It was the alcohol at first. Damn Duke and his delicious imported whiskey. He wanted to blame it all on the whiskey but really he'd wanted to be with Audrey for a long time. When she'd kissed his cheek on the sofa, lingering in the touch and her breath heavy in his ear, he hadn't been able to take it any longer. Months of self-control had snapped and he was gone.

He should've ended it after that. It was wrong of him to sleep with her as friends without telling her that he cared about her the way he did. The next morning he should've put a stop to things. But she'd been sitting there in front of him, her hair a mess and wrapped in nothing but a bed sheet, and she'd looked at him so hopefully when she suggested they keep going, that he hadn't been able to tell her no.

Deep down he knew she felt the same way about him that he felt about her. He could see it in her eyes sometimes, or feel it when she would touch his hand and leave it there for an extra second. And that day, the one she'd apparently repeated multiple times, he was so sure it was right there in front of them. When she'd told him that he'd died in her arms, she had sounded so heartbroken. And on the deck at the Gull there had been so much emotion in her eyes. He knew those feelings were there. It was just a matter of getting them to the surface.

So like a dumbass he'd agreed. He glanced up and watched her take a large bite out of her grilled cheese, bread crumbs sprinkled across her lips, and his heart twisted. _What can it hurt?_ His own words were taunting him now. Because being with her like this without actually being with her, this hurt worse than anything he'd ever imagined.

"Nathan, you okay?"

Nathan blinked and stirred back to reality, and realized that Audrey was watching him, her forehead furrowed in concern. He forced on a weak smile. "Yeah, just thinking."

"They looked like deep thoughts," Audrey said. He smiled at that; typical Audrey, trying to gently prompt him into talking. She rarely came right out and asked him, instead trying to steer him into it in a way that made it his choice. It was part of what he loved about her.

And there it was, the realization hitting him like a bolt of lightning. This wasn't just attraction, or lust, or companionship. He didn't just care about her as friends, or partners. He knew that he cared deeply for her, more than was normal for friends, but he'd only just understood the true extent of it. He was in love with Audrey Parker.

"Nathan, you sure you're okay?" Audrey asked when he didn't say anything.

"Yeah," Nathan said distractedly. He set his plate aside and grabbed his jacket. "Yeah, I just - I've gotta go."

"Why?" Audrey stood up, looking worried.

"It's nothing, I just - I need to go," he said again. He pulled his jacket on, not even considering that she was still wearing his shirt, and snatched his keys off the table. "I'll see you at work." And ignoring her questions he headed out the door and down to his Bronco.

His mind was racing as he drove home. He couldn't keep doing this. It was one thing to sleep with Audrey as friends, even knowing that he cared about her as more than that, but this was different. Love. That was something bigger, something that couldn't be messed with and taken lightly like this. He didn't just want a relationship with Audrey. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, wanted to share his life and his world with her in every way. He wanted nothing more out of life than to wake up every morning to her smile.

This was it; he had to put a stop to this. He couldn't keep sleeping with her this way, not without telling her. How on earth he was supposed to tell her something like this he didn't know. Did she feel the same? He knew she cared for him, but love? It didn't matter. He had to tell her, or he had to stop sleeping with her. Either way, he had to fix this somehow.

His phone rang twice on the drive home, both from Audrey, but he ignored it. He would talk to her in the morning. For now, now he needed time alone to think about this.


	6. Questioning

Chapter 6

Audrey wasn't sure what was up with Nathan. He had barrelled out of her apartment last night and then refused to answer his phone for the rest of the evening. As much as she wanted to march over and demand he tell her what was wrong, she knew him better than that. If something was going on, he'd deal with it in his own way and then come to her if he needed any extra help. He was used to operating on his own and pushing him for information would only alienate him.

Still, she couldn't help but be worried about him. The look on his face, that brooding, deep in thought expression he only wore in the most serious of situations, wouldn't leave her mind. What had he been thinking about so intently? And why was he avoiding her? Had she done something wrong?

The next day when she got to the station he was in his office with the door shut. When she headed for it Alan - or was it Bob? - stopped her and told her there was someone in there with him and she'd probably better not interrupt. She hadn't been able to tell who it was in there with him, and she never got to find out. A car crash on the highway called her out and by the time she got back to the station an hour later his office was empty and he was gone. She didn't see him for the rest of the day.

At the end of her shift, she jumped in her car and headed straight for his house. Laverne told her that he had taken off during the middle of the day, informing the dispatcher that he wouldn't be coming back. When she rang him the phone went straight to his voice-mail. She was done waiting around for him to come to her. She wanted answers. Unfortunately the driveway at his little bungalow house was empty and the Bronco was nowhere to be seen. After waiting at the house for fifteen minutes she gave up and went back to her own apartment.

What had she done wrong? Why was Nathan not talking to her? He usually told her everything so why was he keeping secrets now? She tried to think back over the night before, if there was anything she said that he might have taken the wrong way or that might have somehow turned him off, but she couldn't come up with anything. It had been exactly like the rest of the week had been, really? Was he bored with being with her already? He seemed to enjoy it but maybe it was an act. Not that Nathan was a very good actor, but still...

She sank down on the piano bench and plunked the keys tunelessly, a habit she'd picked up for when she was confused. This didn't make sense. Where was he? Hopeful, she dialled his number again but for the second time it went straight to his voice-mail and she hung up in frustration.

She needed a drink.

Dragging herself up, Audrey walked down to the bar and ordered a martini, extra dirty. She drained it slightly faster than she normally would, and had just ordered a second when Duke wandered over.

"Hey, Audrey, there you are," he said brightly, fixing her with his signature smile. "I was wondering where you were at, I almost never see him here without you."

Audrey's attention piqued and she looked up curiously. "Who?" she asked.

"Nathan," Duke said. "You just missed him."

Nathan had been at the Gull? What was he doing there, and without her? He never came to the Gull without her if he didn't have to. Even though his relationship with Duke had improved slightly, he still preferred to always have her there to play moderator. It was the safest way to make sure both men made it out in one piece. So why had he been there earlier? "Nathan was here?" she asked to clarify.

"Yeah, just like a half hour ago," Duke said. "Didn't you know? He came in and had dinner with Hannah."

"Hannah?" Audrey asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Hannah Driscoll," Duke said, raising an eyebrow at her. "You know, Rev's daughter? I guess she's back in town. They came in and had dinner. Well really it was sort of lunchtime when they came in but they sat and talked so long it was dinnertime when they finished. They'd just left together not long before you showed up." He paused and his face suddenly lit up like he'd just had an epiphany. "You don't think they were on a date, do you?"

"A date," Audrey repeated sceptically. "Nathan?"

"Well sure," Duke said. "I mean, they dated in high school after all. We all thought they might get married. I think he asked her, but she said no. Maybe now that she's out from under her daddy's thumb she's ready to give him a real shot." He was grinning, and then he looked up and gave an exasperated sigh. "Damn it, Wayne, get your ass off the table, would you? People eat off that!" He marched off, muttering irritably, and left Audrey to her musing.

Nathan had been at the Gull having lunch with Hannah Driscoll. The girl he had been in love with in high school. They had gone to the prom together, and she'd been his first time. He'd told her all about that night up on the cliffs, beneath the meteor shower. She remembered the last time she'd seen them together, when Hannah and Bobby were packing up to move to the next town over. There had been an obvious connection between them, and the attraction in their eyes had been clear. Had they rekindled that?

Why hadn't he told her where he had gone? She'd been worried sick about him all day, just to find out that he was out on a date instead. Why had he felt the need to keep it so secret? Was that why he'd left the night before? Because he'd been thinking of Hannah and decided he couldn't bear to be with Audrey any longer. Had he left to be with the woman he really loved?

And why the hell did she care so much? Their relationship was casual, after all. Just friends who happened to have fantastic, earth-shattering sex together. It had been part of their agreement that they would break it off if either of them found someone else to be with. Of course she'd expected him to at least tell her before he ended things, but that wasn't the point, was it? She should be happy for him. He was her best friend and if he'd found someone that he loved then she should be happy.

So why did she feel so terrible? Why was there something dark and sluggish in her stomach that flared up every time she thought about Nathan being with Hannah? And why was there a sharp ache in her chest?

She couldn't be jealous. She didn't have room to be jealous; it wasn't like she had any claim over Nathan. Sure, she thought she meant a little more to him than this, but still they were both free agents. It wasn't like he was hers, really. And they didn't have a real relationship either. It was just sex. So now that he was with Hannah, she and Nathan would just go back to being friends.

That thought made the ache in her chest worse. Did she want to go back to being just friends with Nathan? Of course she did, right? Why wouldn't she? It was just Nathan. The one person in all of Haven that she trusted completely, that she was never afraid of and that she could always rely on. He was just the one thing that kept her grounded in the middle of all of the madness; that made her feel real every time she got swept up into another mystery involving Lucy. When she questioned who she was he reminded her that she was still there. He was the humour that kept her smiling through the dark times, the hand on her arm that made her feel safe when she was scared. He was - everything.

Her heart stuttered in her chest. When everything in her world had disappeared and left her wondering, Nathan was the one solid truth. And that was it, what had her so upset about him being out with Hannah. She was afraid he would leave her. She wasn't ready - wasn't _willing_ - to let him go. She couldn't imagine what to do with her life without him in it, and now that she'd let him in further she didn't want him to leave. And to hell if she was going to give that up without at least trying.

Forgetting about her drink, Audrey stood up and headed for her car. She had to find Nathan.

.

.

.

.

.

Duke watched Audrey race out of the bar and grinned to himself. He walked out onto the deck and found Evie sitting in her favourite chair, staring out over the harbour. She looked up when he approached and raised an eyebrow at his broad smirk.

"Tonight," he said. "It's all going to go down tonight."

"Audrey and Nathan?" she asked curiously. "But he was in here with that other woman earlier."

Duke snorted. "Trust me. By tomorrow morning Nathan and Audrey will be together." He sat down on the crate beside her chair and grinned smugly. "I told her about him being here with Hannah. She turned green right on the spot, you should've seen it. She's realized just how much she cares about him, and we all know he cares about her. That's what he and Hannah were talking about all day, I was listening. She just bolted out of here and I'll bet you anything she's off to confront him. So by the end of the night they'll either be together or she'll kill him."

"That's cheerful," Evie said dryly.

"Which means," Duke continued as if he hadn't heard her, "that I win. I got them together in a week."

"Not yet," Evie pointed out. "We'll see come morning."

Duke grinned. "Oh yes, we will see."


	7. Admitting

AN: Sorry it's coming so late in the day. Midterms are a bitch. I've caught up now though so here's the update for this, and updates for Archives should be up tomorrow. Second to last chapter guys, we're almost there!

Also, sorry for the issues with last chapter. Apparently I missed a few of the beta remarks when copying that over, so yeah, in trying not to be a twat I ended up being a total twat. Oh well. It's been reuploaded correctly now, sorry for the confusion.

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><p><span>Chapter 7<span>

The brakes of her silver rental car groaned as she rounded the corner onto Nathan's street. Her brain was whirring, but she tried to get herself to focus. When she was getting overwhelmed it was always easier for her to detach herself and look at things objectively. A cop instinct, maybe.

She wanted to be with Nathan. And not just physically, the way they'd been all week. It was more than that. Nathan was her best friend, the one that she turned to whenever she was sad or scared or happy. He was her support when things went wrong, and he kept her on the right track when things became too much. At the end of the day, he was the one person in the world she wanted by her side.

Audrey pulled up to the curb in front of Nathan's house and immediately noticed that his truck was still gone. Apparently whatever he was out doing with Hannah wasn't finished yet. For a minute she was tempted to go looking for him. She really wasn't in the mood to sit around and do nothing, but she didn't know where to find him. The only places she knew he frequented were work, his house, and her apartment at the Gull and she already knew he wasn't in any of those places.

She walked up to the front porch and settled down on the swing, making herself comfortable. The view was calming, watching the sun setting over the forest, and it helped her to clear her head even more. This was an unusual situation, but she would get through it with the same analytical focus that she used to handle anything. She just needed to keep a calm head.

With a sigh, Audrey drew her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. As much as she wanted to feel composed about everything, she couldn't help but be afraid at the same time. This wasn't the sort of thing she'd gotten into before. She had had boyfriends before, but she had never felt this way about them before. With such a strong emotion bubbling inside of her, she felt exposed. Like anyone walking down the street would be able to look at her and see right through her. It was a terrifying feeling. No one should be able to look through her so easily, except for Nathan. He had always been able to see through her like she was made of glass.

It was part of their connection. No one understood her as well as he did, and he had admitted that she was the one person in all of Haven that he was closest to. They trusted each other completely, and she was sure that he had felt that same link of kindred spirits that brought them together.

She couldn't lose him now. She had lost so many things since coming to Haven; her job at the FBI, her past, her memories, friends like Eleanor and Julia, and even her own identity. Nathan was the one solid constant in her life anymore, and losing him was more frightening than anything else she had faced. She would deal with all of the other loses, as long as he was at her side to help her through them.

The familiar rumbling of an engine made Audrey's head shoot up in anticipation, and a second later the large blue Bronco rounded the corner. She forced herself to stay collected as it curved into the driveway and the engine died away. This was it. No time left for turning back. Nathan climbed down out of the truck - a movement she noticed he did much more gracefully than she did - and she saw his eyes flick to her questioningly. He didn't say anything as he locked up the truck and walked up onto the porch, his hands tucked into the pockets of his jeans. At the top of the steps he leaned against the porch rail. "Parker," he greeted simply, but it came out sounding a little like a question.

"Hey," Audrey said, trying to get her bearings. Those feelings in her chest seemed to have multiplied now that they were actually facing each other and it was making it difficult for her to breathe. "So, how's Hannah?" Inwardly she winced, because the jealousy she'd been trying to hide came out painfully obvious. So much for playing it subtle.

Surprise flickered over Nathan's face for a split second before it disappeared beneath his usual stoic façade. "She's good," he said simply. "She's just in town for a funeral, that woman who died when the cliff fell was a friend of hers." Audrey nodded and he shifted his weight to the other leg. After rubbing at his lower lip thoughtfully for a moment, Nathan said, "You want to come inside?"

"Yeah, okay," Audrey agreed and she followed him inside. She looked around his living room curiously, realizing she'd only ever been inside his house once before. It was simple, casual, and homey. Just like Nathan. They settled down on the sofa facing each other and slipped back into another minute of uneasy silence. Nathan was the one who finally broke the quiet.

"Look, Parker, about last night," he said, and his hand moved from his lip to the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about leaving like that. I just - I needed some time to think. Things have been a little complicated lately." Audrey gave a wry chuckle; complicated was an understatement to the chaos in her brain. Nathan half-grimaced before continuing. "We can't keep doing this. At least not this way. There's something I need to tell you first-"

"I love you."

The statement slipped out of Audrey before she could really process it, and it left both of them stunned into silence. Where had that come from? She knew she cared about Nathan, a lot, but love? Still, now that she'd said it she didn't want to take it back. It felt right, somehow. She had never really considered it before, but she knew it was true. She was in love with Nathan.

Nathan blinked at her in a sort of wide-eyed awe. "What?"

"I love you," Audrey repeated. "At least I think I do. I'm not really sure what love is supposed to feel like. It's not like I've ever really had family, or even a serious boyfriend. All I know is that I feel right with you. And it's not just the sex. That part's great, but it's more than that too. I feel safe with you, and I can't imagine anyone else that I could feel this way about. I want to spend the rest of my life eating quick dinners over case files and arguing with you about everything, and I think that's what love is supposed to be like. So I think I love you."

"Parker-"

"And I know it breaks all sorts of inter-office dating policies," Audrey rushed on anxiously, "but we can work around that. It's not like we haven't bent rules at work before, after all. It's just-"

"Parker-"

"-I don't want to have to spend any more time wondering if I might lose you to someone else, when I want to be with you. And I know it'll be weird, being partners and friends and more, but I think-"

"Audrey!" Audrey stuttered to a stop, surprised by his raised voice. His expression had shifted from confusion to a familiar intensity, and it sent chills through her spine when she met his focused gaze. "Sorry, you wouldn't stop talking," Nathan said and his lips quirked up into his typical sideways smirk. Then he leaned across the space between them, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Audrey melted into his touch, the warmth in her chest spreading and making electricity course through her limbs. This was the way it was supposed to feel. Even though they'd kissed dozens of times over the last week, it had never felt this way before. All of the energy and earnestness was still there, but with an undercurrent of something stronger and more solid, and ultimately softer. It was an understanding and a connection.

Not wanting to be apart another minute, Audrey slid across the couch and climbed into Nathan's lap. His hands immediately settled on her sides, shifting her shirt out of the way so he could feel her skin, and she used the better angle to deepen the kiss. She combed her fingers through his hair, grazing her nails over his scalp, and then traced the contours of his neck until she met the collar of his dress shirt. Without taking her lips from his, she popped the buttons free and pushed the shirt off of his shoulders at the same time that he started trying to do the same with hers.

"This is complicated without looking at them," Nathan grumbled against her lips as his fingers slipped over the buttons clumsily. Audrey laughed quietly and leaned back, and he took the chance to hastily look down and open the buttons. He finished with lightning speed and dropped the shirt to the floor, before hooking his fingers beneath the hem of her camisole and dragging that over her head as well. She stole a quick kiss to his neck before ridding him of his tee-shirt as well, and then reconnected their lips again, their bared torsos lining up. When she inhaled deeply so her skin brushed across his, he shuddered beneath her.

His hands coasted across her skin, the rugged tips of his fingers tracing out the lines of her body. There was something hypnotic in his focused search as he detailed her torso, from the sweep of her shoulders to the place where her hipbones arced above the ridge of her jeans. She felt herself bending and curving beneath his touch, craving the determined contact.

Breaking her lips away from his, Audrey lined kissed along his jaw and down the side of his neck. She gently teased the sensitive pulse point with her teeth and he groaned softly, his grip tightening on her ribs momentarily. As she continued to taste the column of his throat, his fingers found the clasp of her bra and jerked it free, sliding the fabric out of the way and tossing it aside. The calluses on his fingertips scraped against the smooth skin of her breasts and sent chills through her, the contrast of hard and soft like electricity to her nerves.

"Nathan," she groaned as the pads of his thumbs rubbed against her nipples. She fidgeted, leaning into the touch eagerly. He ducked his head and slid his tongue across her breast, before taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking lightly. Audrey moaned again, her hands closing around his shoulders for support as she felt tremors shoot through her body. He kept up his motions, alternating between gentle nips with his teeth and then slow drags of his tongue, until her body was so tense that she was sure she'd snap.

"Audrey," Nathan said when he pulled his mouth away but she didn't let him get any further than that. She recaptured his lips forcefully, plunging in her tongue and battling for dominance. Her hands moved down from his shoulders, along the lines of his lean muscles until she reached his jeans. She had gotten the button undone before he grabbed her wrist. "Wait," he said.

"What?" Audrey asked uncertainly. He couldn't be having second thoughts now, could he? She glanced up to meet his eyes and saw he was smiling softly.

"Let's do this right," he said softly. "This is different, I don't want it to be just like every other time." He lifted her hand and laid it on the side of his face, kissing her palm tenderly.

Audrey smiled, stroking his cheek with her fingertips. "I thought the girl was supposed to be the romantic," she said teasingly.

Nathan smirked into her hand. "When have we ever been normal," he pointed out and Audrey couldn't help but nod in agreement. He stood up carefully, keeping his hands on her waist until he was sure that she'd gotten her feet underneath her. When he stooped to kiss her the movement was tender, but she placed her hand on his chest and could feel his heart hammering rapidly beneath her touch, betraying his enthusiasm. "Come with me," he murmured against her lips, and then smoothly side-stepped around her.

"Where are we going?" she asked curiously. He paused and turned back to her, and the half-smile that played across his mouth was almost mischievous.

"What, Parker, don't you trust me?" he asked in mock hurt.

Audrey smirked and took in the sight in front of her; he stood there in his jeans, the unbuttoned waistband slung just low enough that she could see the elastic band of his underwear beneath the lean planes of his torso. He was grinning at her with an eagerness and confidence she rarely saw, his cheeks flushed and his eyes dark below his ruffled hair. He looked very much like trouble, standing there with his hand extended expectantly toward her.

She loved it.

"Lead the way, Wuornos," she said and placed her hand in his.


	8. Completing

AN: Phew, got this all up before my vacation. I'm leaving tomorrow and won't be home until Monday so the timing worked out great there. So here it is, the final chapter!

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><p><span>Chapter 8 <span>

The fact that Audrey had never seen the inside of Nathan's bedroom before was the furthest thing from her mind at that moment. He pulled her flush to his body again as he walked her slowly toward the bed, his lips working a relentless pattern over her shoulders and neck. When her legs bumped the mattress he lowered her down, his movements gentle if slightly awkward.

Once she was stretched out across the bed he knelt above her, his lips teasing the hollow of her throat. She laced her fingers through his hair, trying to bring him back up to level with her, but he smirked against her skin as he grabbed her wrists. "You really have no self-control, do you?" he murmured into her neck, lifting her hands away and laying them on the mattress above her head. She made a soft noise of protest at both the restraint and the way he turned her own words against her. "No, not this time, Parker," he said. "This time I want you to be the one to just enjoy for a bit, okay?"

She was about to argue again, but then he dragged the tip of his tongue over the sensitive patch of skin behind her ear and the only noise that escaped her was a moan. He nipped lightly at her earlobe and then whispered, "Just trust me, Audrey." And with that every ounce of tension left her body, because she did trust him, completely. She didn't have to worry about being in charge, or putting on a brave and confident front with him. With him she could just _be_.

Nathan began moving again, down the column of her throat to her shoulder. He followed that to her arm, kissing steady trails up her left arm, through the crook of her elbow all to way to her wrist. He paid special attention to her hands, mapping the curves and lengths of each individual finger with his lips until she began writhing underneath him. With a smile he started back down her arm just as slowly, across her collarbone until he reached the right shoulder. Then, to her combined enjoyment and frustration, he worked the same deliberate pattern up her other arm, this time lingering at the shallow dip on the inner curve of her wrist.

When he'd finished with her arms, he headed downward again. He swept along the hollows beneath her collarbone down to her breasts. These he examined thoroughly, feeling both the way they fit into his hands and the way the nipples fit his mouth. He tested her nipples with his fingers and his tongue, seemingly fascinated by the reaction to his touch. It wasn't until she bucked wildly under him and he had to disentangle her hands from his hair again that he finally moved on.

Tracing his way down the valley between her breasts, he moved to her stomach. He tasted along the faint lines of muscle through her abdomen. He nipped at her sides, making her whimper, and investigated a thin scar along her waist before his tongue traced the waistband of her jeans. Audrey moaned and twisted into the touch. She felt his lips curve and then his hands busied with the button of her jeans. Audrey lifted her hips to make it easier for him to slide them off. He eased them down, laying kisses along her left leg as he did. When he dropped them on the floor he started back up the inside of her leg with slow, steady movements. The higher he got the harder it was for her to control herself, and his lips, surprisingly soft considering how often he chewed at them, slid against her sensitive skin. Just as he'd reached the height of her leg, he switched to the other and started back down again. She couldn't fight the groan of frustration that escaped her.

As much as she was annoyed by the ministrations, she also understood what he was doing. He was memorizing her body. Using the sense of touch that only she could provide him, he was laboriously exploring every inch of her body to find the way the different areas of skin felt. She loved that she could give that to him. But his painstakingly slow motions were making it extremely difficult to keep her self-control when all she wanted to do was tear his jeans off and pin him to the mattress for the rest of the weekend. Or the month.

Nathan's lips travelled back up the outside of her right leg until he reached the cotton waistband of her underwear. His fingers hooked beneath the fabric and Audrey practically cried with relief as he dragged them down the length of her legs to join the jeans on the floor. His head came back to the apex of her thighs and she barely realized what was happening before his tongue stroked up her slick skin.

A strangled gasp slipped out of her as she bucked into him instinctively, her eyes rolling upward as the wave of pleasure surged through her. His firm hands pressed down on her hips, holding her in place, as his tongue went back to work. He plunged in and out of her, tasting her with just as much dedication as he had the rest of her body. Audrey moaned as he sent wave after wave of energy through her nerves, until she was nearly whimpering. She couldn't take much more of this, the way his moist tongue lapped at her sex until she couldn't see straight.

"Nathan, please," she groaned when every muscle in her body felt like it had coiled so tightly she'd never be able to move again. One of his hands moved down from her hip and he thrust two fingers deep into her, and she crashed over the edge with a half-scream.

When she finally opened her eyes again, still panting heavily, Nathan had crawled up to hover above her again. She placed her hands on his waist and grabbed the belt loops of his jeans. "These have got to go," she purred, her legs still shuddering slightly from the aftershock of her orgasm. Nathan smirked at the comment but obligingly sat up on his knees and slid off the last of his clothes.

As he loomed above her, kneeling between her outstretched legs, she had never seen him so confident. While he was generally self-assured about work, when it came to more social aspects his attitude was more doubtful and self-deprecating. But here and now, positioning himself to join with her on the most intimate level, he looked - _sure_. Like a man who had found his place. And she realized that sense of home and belonging that he gave her might be exactly the same for him.

His firm pressure paused just short of entering, the hardness pushing lightly against her warm sensitive skin, and a groan rumbled in the back of her throat. "Audrey," he said, and the tenderness beneath the ragged edge caught her by surprise. She opened her eyes and glanced up into his sincere, dark-eyed gaze, struck dumb by the intensity. "I love you," he said pointedly. "I just realized I hadn't said it yet, and I wanted to make sure you knew."

Audrey smiled and a whole new type of heat rushed through her. "I know," she whispered in reply. She pulled his face down to crush their lips together fiercely, and in the same movement coiled her legs around his waist and lifted her hips so he was buried deep inside of her. Nathan gasped into her mouth, a tremor running down his body, and then he seemed to recover from the shock. He took both of her wrists in one large hand and held them against the mattress above her head, leaving her neck and shoulders bared to his lips.

It was a whole new sensation for her, not being the one in control of the situation, but despite being a little unsettling, it wasn't unpleasant. His grip on her wrists was loose, giving her the chance to escape if she needed to, like he just innately understood her uneasiness. That in itself was more comforting than anything else she had known, and she surrendered herself to his whims.

While his hips rocked a steady pace against her, Nathan's mouth teased at her shoulders and neck, sending pleasant little jolts through her. He toyed with her ear for a moment and then ducked his head to her breast, taking a nipple into his mouth. She let out a low keening noise as he sucked lightly at the rosy tip and the tension boiling in her stomach curled tighter. His mouth switched to the other breast, the speed of his hips picking up just slightly and this time it was his name that came out on her breathless noise. "God, Nathan."

At this his hand released her wrists, moving down to fist in her hair. He used it to tilt her head back more, completely exposing her neck, and he nipped a random pattern over the skin, salving the stinging bites with soft kisses. Her freed hands jumped to his body, one gripping the back of his neck, urging him wordlessly to continue. The other settled on his hip and she drew him harder and faster into her.

The arm that was supporting him slid beneath her back, causing her body to arch up over it, and with the new angle he drove straight into her g-spot. She gave a strangled shout as her body lurched into him. Nathan pulled back and then thrust harder, and her toes curled in the duvet as the thrumming heat and energy surged through her. "Nathan," she moaned, and then he thrust again and all thoughts of coherent English left her. He was hot and hard inside of her, filling her and pounding into her most sensitive spot, and the pressure building below her waist was maddening. She was going to snap.

"Audrey," Nathan whispered huskily against the pulse point in her throat. And she somehow knew exactly what he was saying with that one word, that it was their time.

"With me?" Audrey asked, unable to form the complete sentence. She could feel him, full and ready, inside her. He had to be close as well.

"Always," Nathan replied, and that one word, one promise, sent her flying off the edge. She shouted his name as the waves broke over her, and through the pounding in her ears she could hear him gasping hers. They jerked against each other for a few moments, riding out the last of their orgasms, and then Nathan's body went limp above her, his shaking arms the only thing keeping him from crushing her. After a few more seconds to catch his breath he careful disentangled himself from her, a motion that made them both gasp again, and then collapsed down on the blanket beside her.

Audrey rolled over and curled against his side, burying her face in the curve of his shoulder, and he wrapped his arms around her. They didn't talk, but they didn't need to. They just laid in the silent afterglow for several long minutes until Audrey felt the adrenaline sweeping out of her, leaving her eyelids heavy. When she yawned against his chest, Nathan chuckled but dragged the duvet out from beneath them, pulling it up over their bodies. When he'd settled on the bed again she immediately wrapped herself around his side again, twining her legs around one of his and splaying her arm over his chest. She wanted him to feel her there, to feel that same comfort of contact and warmth that she was feeling.

"I like this," Nathan murmured quietly, one of his hands tracing lazy patterns on her back.

"Me too," Audrey admitted. She wouldn't thought she would like it. She never had been one for much physical contact but it felt different with Nathan. Everything was different with him. She placed a quick kiss on his chest before laying her head down again.

Audrey had nearly nodded off when Nathan finally spoke. "Duke's going to be insufferable now," he said thoughtfully. "Or more so than usual."

"What makes you say that?" Audrey asked curiously, glancing up at him through her lashes.

"He and Evie had a bet going on us," Nathan answered off-handedly. Audrey lifted her head to see his face better, her eyebrows coming together in surprise. "About if we'd get together, or something like that."

"How do you know?" Audrey asked suspiciously.

Nathan snorted. "Subtlety never was Duke's strong-point," was his response. Audrey rested her chin on his chest as she thought back over the last week. Now that she paid attention, both of the Crockers really had been taking the opportunity to ask a lot more questions about her personal life. She thought at first it was just friendly ribbing, since they knew about she and Nathan and their friends-with-benefits status, but now she saw it for what it really was: fishing for information.

"I can't believe it," she said, shaking her head. Then she paused and added, "Well, okay, actually I can believe it. Just surprised I didn't figure it out before. Should we deal with them?"

"We'll deal with them on Monday," Nathan said, tightening his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. "For now, I just want to stay here. We've got the weekend ahead of us, with no council meetings or work shifts, and I want to enjoy it. With you."

Audrey smiled and closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic thumping of his heartbeat against her ear. This was where she wanted to stay too. She knew it wouldn't happen, that they'd eventually have to go back to work and fight more Troubles and face more questions with answers that never made sense, but they would always have this to come back to at the end of the day. "I love you, Nathan," she breathed sleepily.

"You too, Parker," Nathan replied and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. "Always."


End file.
